Christy
It’s natural to compare and contrast David Michôd’s “Christy” to Rachel Morrison’s “The Fire Inside” from last year. Both look at two women who overcome gender biases to become champion boxers, in spite of their turbulent lives. In reality, however, that is basically all they have in common. To compare the two is to play into the age-old notion that films with similar narratives must be compared at all. Having said that, though, one definitely connected with me more than the other, as “Christy” leans more into formula and cliches. It does land some punches, however.
Christy Salters (Sydney Sweeney) was a young woman in West Virginia when she first took up boxing. She was into basketball, but a fight with another woman on the team- stemming from a rumor that Christy was going out with a girl- leads her to boxing. She starts winning some fights, and she finds herself with a trainer. That trainer is James Martin (Ben Foster), who- at first- doesn’t regard her as a viable option, but after seeing her spar, he takes her on as his coach, and later, his wife. They get involved with Don King (flamboyantly played by Chad L. Coleman), and she becomes a big name, but the fame doesn’t last, and the men around her- including James- take advantage of her.
There was a Netflix documentary a few years ago about Christy (who now goes by Martin), so if you watched that- or knew about her before- you can guess what happens. The film that Michôd has made- from his screenplay with Mirrah Foulkes, based on a story by Katherine Fugate- is a familiar form for fans of sports movies, and biopics in particular. You have the tumultuous moments outside of the ring, the highs and lows while in the ring, and the complicated nature of family relationships. “Christy” being a fairly predictable film in how approaches Martin’s story would be easier to appreciate if the performances elevated the film. Sweeney, for her part, does a very good job as Martin, someone who knows who she is, even if the people around her don’t always want to admit that at times (in particular, the difficult relationship with her mother, played by Merritt Wever, is a strong thread throughout the film). She holds her own with Foster as James Martin, whom strikes us as an abusive prick early on, and doesn’t really dissuade us from that assessment throughout. He does solid work, but it’s a one-note character that we recognize immediately, and only wait to see the moment when Christy breaks away from him. There are other good performances, but they only go so far as building out the world around Christy. She is the spotlight of the film, and Sweeney gives her her all in this performance, even if it doesn’t quite land the knockout punch for me.
